Sleep Facts

SLEEP GOAL: To change Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) middle and high school start times to later in the morning. To synchronize the school clocks with students’ body clocks so teens are in school during their most alert hours and can achieve their full academic potential.

Building up a sleep debt over a matter of days can impair metabolism and disrupt hormone levels. Sleep debt can contribute to obesity. (The Lancet, October 23, 1999)

Most FCPS high schools start at 7:20 a.m. with students arriving at 7 a.m. Middle schools typically start between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. Hormones released by the adolescent brain make this a drowsy time of day. The FCPS Task Force that studied this issue in 1998 recommended that FCPS start secondary schools later.

Research shows these benefits from later secondary school start times: